Limitless
by impsy
Summary: Cerys Denarin is a young Valdemaran farmgirl with one of the most powerful Healing gifts the Collegia have ever seen. While things seem to be going well, evil lurks in Haven, and Cerys' true potential has yet to be unlocked... Finally updated!
1. Chapter 1

This idea has been floating around in the back of my mind for a while now, and I figure I should start writing it down. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome. I hope you enjoy.

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Chapter One

The last day of the first stage of Cerys Denarin's life dawned bright and clear.

She woke up a few minutes before dawn, as usual. Like most of the other members of her family, Cerys was a morning person, and after living on a farm for seventeen years, she had gotten past simply being accustomed to rising early and started enjoying it. Every morning, her internal clock woke her up without fail a few minutes before the sun rose, and this special morning was no exception. The first rays of dawn were just starting to shine over the horizon as she did her best to stretch in bed without moving too much – her younger sister Liya, who took up the majority of the bed they shared, was the one member of the family who would much rather sleep late, and Cerys did her best to let her doze uninterrupted for as long as possible.

Even though she expected as much, the wooden floor of the house was still surprisingly cold, and Cerys hopped across her room and the house's main room to the door outside on tiptoes, trying to avoid contact. It was an early spring day, and even though they'd had a few nice days already, the weather still couldn't make up its mind whether it wanted to stay cold or continue its first small steps toward true spring. This day, fortunately, was looking to be a warmer one.

_Maybe it's a good omen,_ she thought as she walked barefoot from the house toward the pasture. _Maybe things will go well today. Oh I hope they do!_

She climbed on the wooden fence surrounding the cow pasture, setting her feet on the lower rung to balance herself, and looked around. She wanted to be able to remember all of this for tomorrow, when she would be waking up in a strange place with new expectations and people to learn. The best way to remember it, she felt, was at dawn, when the sun was just lighting everything up with its first warming rays, and the farm, pasture, and forest seemed new and as refreshed by the night as Cerys herself was.

The farm was small in land but large in people, consisting of a half dozen cows, twice that in chickens, a few sheep, one ancient horse, and the family – her father Tol, little sister Liya, elder brother Senren, her brother's wife Ria, and, of course, Cerys. There was plenty of work to do, but not enough income coming in to support all of them comfortably; Ria would be giving birth soon, as well, making the situation even worse.

The buildings were slightly dilapidated – the barn and chicken coop were the best taken care of, while the house itself could use some work. The wooden buildings were made with the wood of the trees in the nearby forest, and made years ago – the once beautiful light browns were weather- and sun-damaged, Cerys thought as she surveyed them critically, and could probably use replacing, not that that would happen anytime soon.

"If you girls ain't up yet, I'll wake ye with m'belt!" Her father's voice, harsh and rough as the man himself, startled Cerys from her reverie as he shouted from inside the house, nearly causing her to fall from her perch on the fence. "Git yer chores done so we can git inta town."

She turned around on the fence and hopped off, heading back through the house and into her room as quickly and silently as she could to wake Liya before her father did. Her sister, of course, was still sleeping soundly, and with Cerys's absence from the bed, the eleven-year-old had spread out to take up the whole thing.

Cerys chuckled and kneeled down next to the bed, giving her sister a gentle shake. "Time for chores, Li," she murmured. "We need to get done quickly so we can get going to Haven."

The younger girl grumbled and turned over to face her. "Do I have to get up," she said sadly. Knowing the answer already, Liya pushed the blankets off and sat up more in bed to stretch her arms up above her with a yawn, and her short sleeve went down to her shoulder to reveal a deep scratch on her left arm.

"What's this from?" Cerys asked with concern, standing up and lifting Li's sleeve to look at the cut more closely.

She smiled with chagrin. "Was pickin' berries in the forest yesterday when I was supposed to be watching the sheep. I heard papa yelling for me and ran back quick as I could and got caught on a branch or sumthin. It's not so bad as it looks."

Cerys disagreed with that last statement, and gave her one of the older sister _looks _that told her to be more careful next time, then bent over and kissed the cut with a smile, wishing it would get better. Li looked at her arm to reassess the damage. "It looks better already!" she said cheerfully. Cerys was surprised to notice that it actually did – the skin around the cut was no longer a bright and worrying red. "You have magic kisses," Li teased. "I bet Jaleron will think so too!"

She felt her stomach lurch at the mention of that name, but grinned to cover up her nervousness. "Let's hope that my magic kisses don't only work on you!" Li giggled, then suddenly reached over to hug her tightly. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Don't want you to go," she said, her voice muffled by leaning into Cerys's nightdress. "Why's papa making you get married, it's no fair!"

_If I didn't have to, I wouldn't,_ she thought sadly, but she hid her nervousness and stroked Li's hair comfortingly. "It'll be all right," she soothed. "It's- well, Haven's not too far away, and I'm sure you can convince Senren to take you on the cart when he comes to visit the market. And I'll write you plenty of letters," she offered, and these ideas seemed to cheer Li up some, though they did little to ease her own fears. "Come on now, we'd better hurry before papa gets upset at us."

The two girls hurriedly climbed out of bed and pulled on their work clothes to do the day's chores. The animals had to be fed, cows milked, chicken's eggs taken, then they had to herd them outside to graze and soak up the sun. Usually the girls would watch over the animals during the day, but since they were both going into Haven with their father today, Senren and Ria would be taking over those duties.

The thought of the journey made Cerys's stomach lurch again, and she tried to calm herself by focusing on her chores – she could do them now without thinking about what she was doing, but it was the last time she'd be at the farm for who knew how long, and she wanted to remember everything.

When their duties had been finished and the animals were content, Tol finally came to check on everything. He was a gruff, aging man with graying hair and a no-nonsense attitude. She could only barely remember the time before her mother had died when he had been as caring and loving as a father could ever be; Yeina's death while giving birth to Liya had completely changed him.

"Git the horse and wagon out," he commanded, and they hurried to do as he said. Cerys was always nervous around him – failure to do as he said often resulted in a harsh word, and both she and Li had felt the sting of his belt a few times for slacking in their duties or causing trouble in some way. Today was not the day to test the limits of his patience; she was sure that he wasn't pleased about having to make the trip to Haven, but hopefully the thought of the money he'd be making from her marriage would cheer him up.

Once the skittish old mare was hitched to the wagon, Tol looked at Cerys, seemingly assessing her, and he didn't look pleased with what he saw. "Yer goin' into Haven. Go get cleaned up and put somethin' presen'able on so ye don' make a fool of the fam'ly. Then bring yer clothes out here so we can get movin'." She nodded and ran out of the barn.

Fortunately, she'd packed up most of her clothes the previous night, so all that was left was to put on what was once a short white summer dress and was now a light grayish color, but it was the best she had. She smoothed the wrinkles out nervously, then grabbed her bag, looked around her room for the last time before leaving, and returned to the barn.

Tol was sitting in the driver's seat and Li was in the back when she returned, so Cerys hurriedly climbed into the back and sat down next to her sister, who linked arms with her and leaned on her shoulder. Her father clucked at the mare and the three began their several-candlemark trip toward Haven and Cerys's future.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Here's the second chapter – sorry for the lack of action in the first one, but I hope anyone reading this finds this one more exciting. If there are grammar/spelling errors or if the formatting (paragraph length, etc) makes it a pain to read, please review and let me know so I can fix it.

This chapter is dedicated to oneswordsworn, my first reviewer. Thanks for the kind words, I hope this chapter is as good or better than the first. :)

Chapter Two

The cart bumped far more than Cerys thought it should as they rode along the well-traveled dirt road, especially considering how slowly the old mare was moving.

They'd been on their way to Haven for several candlemarks, and she hoped that they were nearly there – this bumpy ride was starting to make her feel ill. The cart that the two sisters sat in the back of was usually used by their brother to take what they produced on the farm off to sell in Haven, so it wasn't a very comfortable journey. There were a few more people along the road now, and it was actually a road at last, unlike the dirt trails through farmland they'd been on for much of the trip.

The two tried to find some way to entertain themselves during the journey, but, among other things, the scenery was definitely lacking. Cerys wished that there were towns or villages along the way so she'd at least have something to see other than field after field of crops, but on the road they'd taken, there was little variation. While she would have been content to talk with Liya during the journey, it was tough for the two sisters to talk much at all about anything with their irritable father right near them.

"So what's Jaleron like?" Li asked her quietly, unable to contain her curiosity.

_That's the question, isn't it,_ Cerys thought, trying to suppress her sigh. She leaned on the edge of the cart and stared at the crops near the road. She couldn't blame Li for wanting to know, of course – she wanted to know herself – but it made her stomach flutter in nervousness to think about her new life and all the changes. _But not thinking about it isn't going to make the problem go away,_ she reminded herself. _Put on a bold face for Li._

"Well, he's in a merchant family," she said softly, trying not to bother their father so they could continue talking. "With this marriage, you'll always have somewhere to sell everything we get from the farm. And Jaleron's father wants to make sure there are heirs for the estate I guess; Jaleron is his only child."

Li scrunched up her face in disgust. "That's such a boring reason to get married!" She sighed dramatically. _Goddess, please give Li a better marriage than mine. Let her marry someone she loves. _"But- isn't Jaleron nice at least? You met him before, didn't you?"

Cerys tried not to think about that meeting. Her husband-to-be was... well, he wasn't really the type of man she'd ever pick for herself. He and his father both seemed controlling, judging from the amount of times they'd interrupted, corrected, or disagreed with her father. The man himself was several years her senior – he was probably around twenty-two, she'd guessed, and his father was so frustrated at his lack of wife that he'd arranged for the marriage. He was fairly handsome, from what she could remember – she hadn't seen him since late fall, when they had met for the first time as their fathers arranged the details.

She was hoping that their marriage wouldn't be like that meeting. Jaleron's father was constantly controlling every part of both the marriage deal and the small talk the couple-to-be had shared, from how often and for how much he'd buy the farm's products down to telling Cerys she was wrong when she'd said it was a nice day outside. Jaleron seemed uninterested in what she had to say when she tried to talk to him, so she sat quietly while he told her of his accomplishments and all about his life in Haven, which seemed to please him.

It certainly didn't please Cerys. She'd had enough of not being able to speak her mind at home, and she'd hoped that it wouldn't be that way in her new life.

_It didn't help that he tried to bed me immediately, either,_ she thought with a mental scowl, then relented. _I really shouldn't be so negative about him. I'm sure he'll be perfectly nice. I've survived by doing what I'm told before, I'll just have to keep doing it. _She shook her head a little at her own foolishness. _There's nothing I can do to change it anyway. I have no choice. I just have to accept it._

"He was nice enough," she said, trying to put on a positive face for her sister – it just wouldn't do to make Li worry about her after they left her in Haven.

"Stop blabbin' on back there," Tol said suddenly. "We're here."

The two immediately sat up in the cart and peered over the edge – she'd been so involved with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the growing numbers of people on either side of them. Up ahead were the huge, open gates to the city, guarded by two men wearing blue and silver and holding spears. The girls looked at each other with childish grins of enthusiasm. It wasn't often they got to see the big city, and they wanted to drink it all in.

"It's even bigger than I remember!" Li said happily as the cart rolled slowly through the gates. Now there were people everywhere, and all of them talking. Cerys felt like nearly all her senses were being assaulted at once – only the feel of the worn wood underneath her hands and the dryness of her mouth from the long journey remained constant as they rolled down one of the main streets in the city.

Haven was laid out in the most confusing manner possible to give defenders more time to protect the city should invaders come, so if one knew the way to go, most of the streets in the city could be used to get from the walls to the palace. However, there were a few of these winding streets that had, over time, become the main streets, commonly used for markets, inns, and other services.

The smells of various foods being cooked mixed with the less fragrant odors of people and animals living in close proximity. Cerys breathed in deeply, trying to sort out all the different smells and identify where they came from – there was a honeycake stand that smelled delicious and someone was using some kind of exotic spice on a meat in another direction, so she tried to remember where they were so she could, hopefully, come back later and try them.

The sights and sounds of the big city were almost too much for her to handle – she was used to the quiet of the farm, and every time she came to the city she was surprised at how much noise people could make. There were people in all colors of dress, some in such odd styles that she had no idea where the owner had come from. She spotted one man masquerading as one of the legendary Hawkbrothers, complete with a bird of prey of some sort, but even she could tell he was just a falconer dressing up in a costume in the hopes of getting money from travelers who didn't know better.

"Look!" Li exclaimed. "A Herald!" Cerys sat up more and looked behind the cart some ways to where her sister was pointing, and sure enough, a young woman in white was riding through the crowds on a beautiful Companion. The pair made it through the crowds with ease – she wasn't sure if it was because they were nimble or because people tried to move out of the way for them – and before long, the woman had passed them. She listened for the bells of the Companion's hooves as it passed by, but, to her disappointment, the noise of the crowd covered it up.

The cart continued its rambling, bumpy journey through the town until they eventually arrived at the White Mare Inn, complete with a poorly-painted Companion on its sign with giant blue paint globs for eyes. Tol pulled the cart up to the side of the street then climbed down and unhitched their old nag.

"The Tyeris'll be in 'ere," Tol said, walking toward the inn's stable. "Go an' tell 'em we're 'ere so we can git this done with." The two girls climbed out of the cart obediently. Cerys's heart was pounding in nervousness, but she looked down at Li, who grinned up at her expectantly. "Let's go!" she said, then took Cerys's hand and led her inside.

The inn was nicer than she expected. The Tyeris were well off, but obviously wouldn't spend money frivolously on a fancy inn just to meet them for lunch. She spotted Jaleron, as well as both of his parents, sitting at a table near a small stage, currently empty.

She approached and curtsied, and Li did the same. "Good afternoon, sirs and ma'am," she said meekly.

Jaleron smiled at her, but it wasn't a friendly smile, and Cerys found herself liking him even less. His father had the same smirk and the same dark, oily, brown hair. "So you arrive at last," Master Tyeri drawled. "We began to think you wouldn't be coming." The two men laughed as if this was a great joke, and she forced a nervous giggle to try to fit in. Mistress Tyeri sat silently next to her husband with her hands folded on her lap as she stared down at the table.

"Nice ta see ya again, Hegim," Tol said as he approached the table, taking off his dirty brown hat and holding it nervously in front of him.

Master Tyeri smiled. "Glad to see you're finally here. Shall we have some lunch before we head off to the temple?" he offered, motioning to the three empty chairs.

"If'n ya don't mind, I'd like ta git this done and git 'ome," Tol replied. "Got some work ta be doin' today still, and I'm sure ya'll have somethin' better ta do with yer time than entertainin' a bunch'a country folks."

_Is he so desperate to get rid of me?_ Cerys thought sadly. _He wants me gone so badly that he won't even have a final meal with me?_

"Hmm, well, yes," Hegim replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "That does sound much more efficient. I daresay we do have much to accomplish today, don't we, Jal?" The two laughed again, and Jaleron gave Cerys another wicked smile. She tried to control a shiver of fear. Father and son stood and stepped out from their chairs to begin walking toward the door, with Mistress Tyeri following behind obediently. The three Denarins joined them and stepped back onto the street.

"The temple isn't far from here," Hegim told them, motioning for them to follow as he began walking. "These buildings are rather shabby; in the district where our home is, the architecture is influenced mainly by..." Cerys tuned him out as the group walked; Tol was next to Hegim, Li next to Mistress Tyeri, and she and Jaleron were the last in the group.

_What a wedding procession,_ Cerys thought sadly. _I guess it's best for everyone if we just get it over with._

The streets were full of people still – the temple was down one of the main streets from the inn, and the quickest way to get there would be to walk down it for a while. Cerys tried to distract herself from the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach by looking around at all the different people in the streets.

"Look, a puppy!" Li exclaimed cheerfully. A spotted dog bounded across the road away from them, dodging between carts with ease. Cerys smiled at Li, when she heard some childish giggling. She glanced over and saw a small boy, arms outstretched, run into the street, chasing the puppy.

"Stop!" she shouted, reaching out, wishing that she was close enough to grab the child.

But she wasn't. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The little boy ran into the street. A carriage moved toward him. Cerys knew what was going to happen, and was powerless to stop it.

A high-pitched scream tore through even the sounds of daily life in Haven as the horse's hooves kicked the boy away.

Time seemed to speed up again. Everyone was looking at the boy, who was lying in the street, bleeding from several wounds, and one arm twisted at an angle that she was sure meant it was broken. No one seemed to be moving.

_I have to do something!_ she thought, and ran over to the child's side. _Oh goddess, there's so much blood..._

A huge gash on his shoulder where the horse had struck him seemed to be the worst hit, and she pulled his sleeve up to look at it. _I have to stop the bleeding,_ she thought, then turned to her family and the Tyeris, who were standing in a stunned group.

"One of you, give me your dagger," she commanded. Both Hegim and Jaleron wore daggers at their hips – she doubted they knew how to use them, but at least it would be helpful for now. They looked at her with blank expressions. "Your dagger! Now!" Jaleron seemed to start in surprise, then hurried over and handed it to her hilt first. She bent down and cut at the too-long skirt of her dress, then ripped off a strip of it.

"This will have to do for now, until we can get you to a Healer," she muttered in the boy's general direction. She began wrapping the makeshift bandage around his arm, trying her best to hold the wound closed.

_Please,_ she thought, squeezing her eyes shut as she put pressure on the wound. _Please stop the bleeding!_

"Out of the way!" she heard clearly, and she opened her eyes and looked behind her to see a short, gray-haired woman wearing all green hurrying toward her. "Move, you ninnies!"

The woman knelt beside her, and gave the boy a cursory once-over. "You got it started, but we need to finish closing up that wound so we can move him. I'm just getting back from another emergency, so I'll need your help. Link with me," she commanded.

Cerys felt just as stunned as the rest of the people gathered around. Link with her? What help could _she_ give to this Healer? What was she talking about?

Suddenly, she felt... something. She squeezed her eyes shut. _Focus,_ she told herself sternly, and tried to identify the source of the weird feeling. It felt... green? It was like a green hand of shiny energy extending to her, coming from – the old woman.

_I reach out my hand...?_ she thought, and imagined a green hand of her own, which she told to reach out and connect with the old woman's. The two of them clasped each others mental "hands" simultaneously, and instantly, she felt connected with the stranger. _Is that what I was supposed to do? Did I do what she wanted?_

Another strange feeling – she kept her eyes closed, but she could still somehow see it as the old woman moved their joined "hands" down to the arm of the boy, which went into his wound. Instantly Cerys felt like the "hands" were sucking energy out of her – not enough to make her tired, but still noticeable.

_The wound... it's healing! _she thought joyfully. The woman continued to direct their energies until the wound had closed enough for most of the bleeding to stop. Then, she released Cerys' "hand," and the other presence was gone.

They both breathed sighs of relief at the same time, Cerys opened her eyes to see the old woman stand and motion for the man driving the carriage that had hit the child to come help her.

"Take him to the House of Healing," she commanded. _Is everything she says a command?_ Cerys thought, bemused. "He's going to need work on that arm. Get to it!" The driver jumped at the shortness of her command, and he and the carriage's occupant lifted the boy inside and drove off.

The old woman watched them leave, brushed her hands along her outfit to shake the dust and dirt of the street off, then turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "I need to have a talk with your Master – your shields are practically non-existent. The fact that you linked with me, however, is very impressive. The two of you must work together often. Who trained you?"

Cerys blinked, dumbfounded. She felt like her voice was simply gone. The old woman gave her a questioning look. "What's the matter, child?" 

"I, um." She coughed as she discovered her voice again. "I don't, um, have a Master."

The woman raised both her eyebrows. "You mean to tell me that no one trained you in Healing, child?" Cerys shook her head, and the woman began to laugh. "Well, what a lucky day for you – and for me! You'll need to enroll in the Healers' Collegium immediately, miss- what's your name, dear?"

"It's- it's Cerys Denarin," she answered hesitantly, and the woman reached out to shake her hand firmly.

"Well then, Cerys," she said as she dropped her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Alida Riordin. It seems I was mistaken – when I saw you using your Gift on that boy, I assumed you were trained somewhere. That will have to be remedied. Are you with your family?"

"That'd- ah, be me," Tol said, sounding meek for once in his life. _This Healer intimidates even father,_ Cerys thought with a quiet giggle. "Tol Denarin, ma'am. Thing is, she was, uh, suppose'ta get hitched today. Right now, t'be honest, so I think we oughta get goin'. C'mon there, Cerys," he said, stepping toward her.

She looked up at Alida and caught her eyes, begging her to do something. _I am not letting this chance go by!_ she thought desperately.

Alida reached out and put her hand on Tol's arm. "Well, sir, your daughter has one of the strongest Healing gifts I've seen in quite some time." Her tone of voice had changed completely – she was no longer intimidating people into doing what she wanted; it was sweet-talking that she was trying this time. "And working as a Healer would provide her with a steady income. Wouldn't that be better than having her get married?" she asked sweetly.

Tol blinked. He seemed taken aback. Hegim and Jaleron looked stunned as well. "Why, yes ma'am, that sounds like a right good idea. Go on there, Cerys." He stepped over and patted her on the shoulder awkwardly. "Go on an' be a good girl for the 'ealers."

Alida nodded. "Come then, child, let's get moving. There's much to do."

"Wait," Cerys protested, and she looked down at her little sister, who was smiling at her. She knelt and Li rushed forward to hug her tightly. "Don't worry Li," she told her as they hugged. "I'll try to come visit you soon. And I'll still write you, and I bet you can come see me at the Collegium, too."

Li nodded into her shoulder and sniffled a bit. "I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too," she replied, trying to hold in her tears. "Go on with father now, and be a good girl." They let go of each other and Li returned to their father's side. _I'll get her out of there somehow,_ she thought. _She deserves more than that life._

Alida looked questioningly at Cerys, who nodded. With that, the Healer took her arm and quickly led her off down the street.

Her head felt like it was spinning. Things had happened so fast. From the farm, to the near-marriage, to helping save the child, to suddenly enrolling in Healers' Collegium? What happened to her regular life? What would happen to her now?

_Well,_ she thought with a little smile, _it'll certainly be better than just having a lot of children for the Tyeris. _

"Uh, Mistress Alida?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes child?"

"How'd you convince my father to let me go?"

Alida laughed out loud, then looked down at her with a grin. "By telling him what he wanted to hear, and making him believe it."

_Did she use Gifts?_ "Are you supposed to do that?" she asked with a smile.

Alida chuckled again. "No. So let's keep that quiet when we get to the Collegia, hmm?"

Cerys nodded enthusiastically, and the two of them walked down the busy street toward the center of Haven and her new home.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is dedicated to oneswordsworn (again), GinaStar, and Ginalee. Thanks for the reviews, they make me feel very special and encourage me to keep writing this. )

Chapter Three

Alida walked briskly down the streets of Haven with Cerys in tow, and while she would pause occasionally to answer a question posed to her by those on the street – usually about treatment or when to see a Healer for something or other – they made it through the city much quicker than Cerys expected to. Her stomach was still fluttering with nervousness, but far less than before; Alida had a very soothing presence, and she felt more excited than nervous about this change in plans anyway.

They passed through some of the richest areas in the city, and Cerys gawked at the size of the houses – did just one family really take up all that space? But before she knew it, they had made it to the gates of the palace and Collegia.

The guards, two women, stood at attention at either side of the entryway, and they relaxed and smiled at her as she and Alida approached. "New student?" one of them asked curiously.

Alida nodded, seeming proud. "Found her Healing a boy that got kicked by a horse without even knowing she was doing it." Cerys blushed, and the Healer patted her on the back with a kindly smile. "I'm glad I was nearby or we would've missed her."

The other guard beamed at her. "Welcome to the Collegia! I'm sure you'll love it here."

The guard's enthusiasm was definitely contagious, and she found herself grinning. "I'm excited to be here," she murmured with a little blush as Alida ushered her in through the gates and onto the palace grounds.

This was like nothing she'd ever seen. Healers in green, Bards in crimson, Mages in yellow-gold, and Heralds in white all moved in and around several enormous buildings, most walking purposefully and looking like they had somewhere to be. There were also younger people in lighter versions of these outfits that must be the trainees, as well as some wearing blue whose affiliation she was unsure about – all of these people must be her fellow students. There were also men and women strolling around in such elaborate outfits that Cerys could only stare – members of Queen Lyra's court, she assumed.

The buildings were tall and seemed more expensive and beautiful than anything she'd seen in her life. _Am I really going to live here?_ she asked herself with wonder. Going from the wooden farmhouse to this seemed like a dream that would fade at any moment and leave her back in the tiny bed with Liya.

She didn't have much time to marvel at the Collegia, as Alida continued her brisk pace – for an older woman, she certainly could move quickly – and led her up a set of stairs and inside one of the buildings. It was just as huge and glamorous as the outside made it seem, with tapestries and paintings along the walls.

"This is Healer's Collegium," Alida told her. Their footsteps and her voice echoed slightly in the large hallway. "Connected to it is the House of Healing, where patients are taken for Healing and recovery. You'll be spending a lot of time there as your training progresses doing various things to help out the full Healers." Cerys nodded – that sounded fine to her. She was excited about learning how to use her newfound Gift to help those who needed her.

Alida stopped her in front of a wooden door near a stairwell. "This is the office of the Dean of Healers, Braeden Patamon," the Healer said quietly. "He'll assess your Gifts, assign you a room and chores, and set up your classes, all right?" Cerys nodded, nervous about meeting this figure of authority, and her guide nodded once and opened the door.

She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from the Dean of Healers, but Braeden was certainly not it. He was a rather young man, probably in his early thirties, with a ready smile and many laugh lines around his eyes. He looked up from writing as they entered and smiled at them. "Glad to see you're back! Did that young mother wind up doing okay?" His eyes lighted on Cerys, and he beamed at her. "Did you find us another student?" he asked cheerfully, standing up from behind his desk covered in a mess of papers.

"Indeed, to both questions," Alida replied. "This is Cerys Denarin, I found her Healing a young man in the street and 'convinced' her father to let her come in for training." There was an impish gleam in her eyes and a grin on her face.

Braeden did a fake-dramatic sigh and grinned right back at her. "You'd better keep that under wraps. You know the others don't approve of you using your Empathy that way," he said, waggling a finger at her. Cerys giggled at this – Alida was probably more than twice his age. He approached her and held out his hand, which she gladly shook. "It's nice to meet you, young lady. Welcome to Healers Collegium. I hope you like it here enough to justify Alida abusing her Gift of Empathy for you," he said with a wink, and she laughed again.

He was so friendly and nice that Cerys' shyness seemed to vanish. "I'm sure I will, sir," she told him honestly, and he beamed at her.

"Great! Why don't you have a seat and I'll get you all set up?" he offered, moving back to his chair behind the desk and motioning to one in front of it for her. "Alida, would you mind tracking down Kaevan for me? I think he'd be a good mentor for her, and he hasn't had the opportunity to take a trainee around the Collegium yet." Alida nodded and exited the office, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The Dean flipped through the papers on his desk, making even more of a mess, and eventually found the few that he was looking for. He began with a few basic questions – her age, where she was from, her family's members names, and what kind of education she'd had, all which she provided honestly, and he seemed satisfied with the answers.

"You're right around where a first-year should be," he told her. "I'll put you in a few basic Valdemaran knowledge classes – maths, history, and culture for now. You'll be with the new trainees from all the Collegia for those, since most Deans recommend that their new students take them. You'll also be in the introductory Healers' class." She nodded, and he scribbled down some notes on another piece of paper. Those classes sounded interesting – she'd always wished for more books to read on the farm, but her father thought it was a waste of time.

"Since you're using your Gift already, I'll put you in the first Gift-training group. Many of the Healer-trainees we get have Gifts that are still developing, so you'll be with some second-year or older trainees," he explained. "And speaking of that, I'd like to take a closer look at your channels."

"Channels?" she asked, puzzled.

"Everyone has what we call Gift channels in their mind," Braeden said. "Everyone has the potential to have powerful Gifts, but for most people, these channels never open and they're never able to use them. Those that have open channels vary in strength; some are only slightly open, while a very few are open to the fullest. These differences determine how much the person is able to do with their Gift. Those that have Gifts usually find their way to the Collegia to learn how to use them."

Cerys nodded. _And I have open channels? For Healing I guess? _She pondered this for a moment. _Maybe that's how I always made Li's cuts better, and why I never really got sick – I was using it without realizing I was._

"If you don't mind, I'm able to look closely in your mind and determine what channels you have open," the Dean said. "Would that be all right?"

"Oh- yes, of course," she said, pleasantly surprised he had asked permission. _I like these Healers already!_

Braeden nodded and closed his eyes, and after a moment, Cerys felt another "presence" like she had out on the street – this one was also green, and must have belonged to Braeden. She didn't try to stop him, and he placed his "hand" in her mind. She felt – very strange, like he was gently sifting through a part of her that even she couldn't access.

She wasn't sure how long it took for him to determine her Gifts, but after he finished, she felt the "hand" withdraw from her mind and the presence vanished. "Well!" he said cheerfully. "We're going to have to add another class to your schedule – it seems you have a touch of both Animal Mindspeech and Mindspeech, in addition to some Empathy and – well, your Healing gift is – I'm sure you'll do fine here," he finished. He didn't quite seem to know what to say. She was confused by this response, but didn't question it.

"We require our trainees to do some chores while they're here," the Dean told her. _What a good idea, _she thought approvingly. _That will keep students busy and make sure that the palace workers don't have too much to do with all the people living here. _ "Do you have anything you're particularly good at?"

"I can cook all right, and clean too. I like to sew best though, if you need me to do that," she offered after a moment's thought.

"Great! There aren't that many students who like to sew so I'll put you mainly on that, and on kitchen help and laundry duty sometimes so you get some variety." He noted these things down on the paper as well just as there was a knock on the door. "Come in!"

Alida reentered the office, carrying a bag and followed by young man around Cerys's age. He was tall and lanky, with sandy blonde-brown hair and a big grin on his face. "Ahh, Kaevan, thanks for coming," Braeden said. "Cerys, this is Kaevan Jaisi, he's a second year Healer-trainee and he'll be your mentor, which means he'll help you find your classes and get settled in here. Kaevan, this is Cerys Denarin, she just arrived here today."

Cerys stood up from her place in the chair as Kaevan approached and reached out his hand to shake hers. "It's nice to meet you!" he said cheerfully.

Braeden walked over to them and handed Cerys the piece of paper he'd been writing on. "This has your class schedule and when to report in for chores," he told her. "You're exempt from chores for the first week, but after that you'll need to head to the correct area when the bell sounds – I've written it down so you can check it later." He pointed at the place on the paper where he'd done this, and she nodded.

"Where's she rooming, Dean?" Kaevan asked.

"Second floor, near the main stairs," Braeden told him, then looked at Cerys. "Your roommate is Gwendolyn Rei, she's one of your yearmates and I believe you share several classes. I know this is a lot of information to take in at once," he said with a kind smile, and reached out to pat her on the shoulder comfortingly. "But Kaevan will help you find everything, and if you ever need anything, just ask anyone around here, I'm sure they'd all be happy to help you."

Cerys was still a little nervous, but the Dean's cheerful attitude and optimism made her feel like she really _could_ fit in here. "Thank you, Dean," she said with a shy smile. "I really appreciate everything you're all doing. I hope that I can make it up to you by doing well in my classes and becoming a great Healer!" she said hopefully.

Braeden beamed at her. "It's no problem at all! Good luck in your classes, and just come back here if you need anything."

"Your father brought this for you, by the way," Alida said, handing her the bag she was carrying.

"My clothes! I completely forgot them!" Cerys exclaimed. She took the bag and smiled. _It will be nice to have something from home around all this newness,_ she thought.

"You'll need to wear the light green uniforms anyway, but it's always nice to have something you're used to for when you go into Haven or are lounging in your room," Alida said with a smile.

Kaeven caught her eyes. "Ready to go? We can go get you fitted for a uniform, then I'll give you a quick tour and show you to your room so you can get settled," he offered.

She nodded enthusiastically, and they stepped out the door.

Alida gave Braeden a critical look once the two had left the office. "Well? Did you check on her Gifts?"

The Dean nodded, then laughed a little in disbelief. "Did you?"

"I got a slight feel for them when we linked, but no specifics. I know she's strong, but not exactly how strong."

Braeden sat down in his chair and shook his head. "She's stronger than any Healer I've ever met. She's got the potential to be one of the greatest Healers of our time – maybe of _all_ time. I don't think it's possible for the channel to be open any wider."

Alida looked at the door the two trainees had left through just moments before. "Then I hope we can get her trained, and soon. I have a feeling we're going to need her Gift badly sooner than anyone realizes."


	4. Chapter 4

I thought I'd start this chapter out by telling how I pronounced the character names in my head – Cerys is "SARE-ees," Kaevan

Sorry for the long delay between updates, I've had finals and papers to finish up, but chapter four is finally done.

Many thanks to my awesome reviewers! Those that haven't reviewed, I'd love to know what you think of the story – constructive criticism, suggestions, or whatever, it's all welcome. :)

GinaStar, Bloodyeyes, ginalee, SparkySCI, sugoichicken- Thanks for the reviews! They always make me happy and encourage me to write more of this.

oneswordsworn- The timeline is the reign of Queen Lyra (Selenay's daughter), around 40-50 years after the Storms trilogy. Basically most of the Selenay-generation characters (Selenay, Talia, Dirk, Alberich, Kero) have passed away, the Elspeth-generation ones (Elspeth, Darkwind, Firesong) are oldish and retired, and the children of that generation (Jemmie, etc) are in their 30's and 40's. Also, magic has returned to its original strength, complete with ley-lines and nodes. This may not fit with how the books said it was going to go, but I like the original magic, so I'm rushing that a bit, heh.

Chapter Four

The severe height difference between herself and Kaevan meant that Cerys had to walk more quickly to keep up with him as they went through the Healers Collegium. Her new mentor had promised her a uniform, a room to live in, and a tour of the Collegia, and she wondered where they were going first.

"So where are you from?" he asked her politely as they walked.

"A farm a few candlemarks from Haven," she replied quietly. "I was here because I was supposed to get married today, but Alida found me and, um, convinced my father to let me come here."

Kaevan laughed. "That sounds like Alida – she's known for finding people with the Gift. Turn here by the way," he said as he led her around a corner. "Maybe it's her Empathy or something."

Cerys smiled, thinking of how the older Healer had influenced her father into letting her come here. "She changes so quickly; I mean, she was really stern when I first met her, then she was all fake-sweet to my father, and now she seems like a nice old lady."

Her mentor grinned. "You've got it right. She knows just what to say to get to people, I think – prob'ly her Gift again." He stopped in front of a wooden door. "Here's where you can get a few sets of so-stylish uniforms like these," he said, striking a dramatic pose in his light green tunic with a grin, and Cerys laughed. He opened the door, winked at her to go first, and she blushed and entered.

The room was larger than she expected, and contained not only a desk, but also clothing of all colors, a set of mirrors, a screen for changing clothes behind, and many strange tools used, she guessed, for tailoring students' uniforms to fit them well.

"Hello there, dears," said a tiny older woman with curly gray hair who stood near the desk, her hands clasped in front of her. "Can I help you with something?"

Kaevan nudged her with a smile, and she spoke up hesitantly. "I was wondering if I could get a set of trainee Greens please."

"Of course you can, my dear," the woman replied with a smile. "I'm Naena, the housekeeper. Give me just one moment and I'll find you something that will fit you."

A girl who couldn't have been more than 12 stepped out from behind the screen in a set of Grays, then walked over to the set of mirrors. Naena looked her over with an experienced eye, tugging on the uniform occasionally to judge how well it fit, then smiled and nodded.

"This one is much better, yes?" she asked, and the tiny girl nodded. "Wonderful!" Naena handed the girl a neatly-folded stack of grays, and the girl smiled shyly, curtsied, and left the room hurriedly.

The housekeeper smiled fondly at the girl as she left. "Shyest Herald-Trainee I've ever met, I think," she said half to herself, then looked at Cerys. "Well then dear, let me see what I can do for you. Come over here and I'll take some measurements."

She nodded, set her bag down next to Kaevan, and approached Naena, standing where she pointed in the middle of a set of three mirrors, which were angled so she could see herself from different sides all at once. The housekeeper approached, asking her to raise her arms, move her legs, and many other seemingly random movements so she could measure her, and as she followed the instructions, for the first time, Cerys got a chance to look at herself in a mirror.

Mirrors were expensive, so the family hadn't ever been able to afford one – not that they really needed one, but she had read in her few books of young girls primping in front of mirrors before they go off to meet their True Love, and she felt that the mirror was an integral part of this process. As it was, the only time she'd gotten to look at herself was reflected in water, which wasn't the clearest of images. These perfect mirrors were.

Cerys could remember her mother marveling at her hair when she was young – she'd been born with light brown hair, but years of working in the sun had already started to lighten it to a copper color by the time her mother had died. It was cut to around shoulder length so that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to deal with, and her bangs had been grown out so she wouldn't have to cut them very often. She was short, even compared to tiny Naena, who stood about half a head taller than she, and as she looked at her arms when asked to raise them again, they had more muscle on them than she'd perhaps realized. Her clothing fit her poorly, but hopefully, she thought, that would be remedied today.

She was startled out of her musings by Naena, who patted her on the shoulder. She turned to see the woman already had a set of trainee Greens out for her – she hadn't even realized the woman had left her side. "Try these on, dearie," the older woman requested, and Cerys nodded and gladly went behind the screen to change.

Putting on clothing had never felt so wonderful. The green tunic, leggings, shirt, and socks all felt wonderful on skin used to clothing that had been worn by generations before her. She hadn't ever had something that fit so well – Naena's measurements had been very accurate, and Cerys felt like she could move with perfect ease while wearing her new uniform.

She stepped out slowly from behind the screen and looked at Naena with questioning eyes. Naena smiled broadly. "Perfect fit, m'dear – does it feel all right to you?" Cerys nodded enthusiastically, and Naena handed her another set of uniforms the same size. "There'll be a laundry chute in your room, just throw dirty uniforms in there and they'll be back in your room the next day. And just let me know if you need anything!"

"Thank you very much, ma'am," she said as she picked up her bag, and she and Kaevan stepped out the door.

"Want to see your room so you can drop off your bag before the tour?" he asked, and she nodded excitedly. The two of them walked down the hall, through a set of doors outside, and back into another, larger building.

"We're in Heralds Collegium now," he informed her as they walked. "It's the biggest of the collegias, and students from all the different schools live here." She nodded as they climbed a set of stairs. "Here's your new room!"

He opened the dark wooden door, and Cerys blinked at the orange light of a sun just starting to set that was shining brightly through the windows. She shaded her eyes for a moment to get used to the light, and once they adjusted, she could see the room.

_It's the size of the whole house!_ she thought with surprise. She took a few steps into the room and looked around. Two beds were against the walls next to the door, with two chests for clothing sitting at the ends. A desk and bookcase were each on a side of the room near the large, clear window, which currently had the curtains open. A chair sat next to the bookcase.

"Hey there," someone said, and she jumped and looked over. A girl around her age, rather pretty, with long blonde hair, sat on the bed to her right with an open book sitting in her lap. "You must be my new roommate." The girl put the book next to her and stood up, offering her hand out to be shaken. "I'm Gwendolyn Rei, first-year Healer-trainee. You can call me Gwen."

She took her hand and smiled shyly. "I'm Cerys Denarin. It's nice to meet you." She looked around at the room, still slightly in awe that she would really be living there. "This is so beautiful, and such a huge room!"

Gwen raised one eyebrow at her. "Havens, where are _you_ from that _this_ is nice?" she asked slightly scornfully. "If we weren't required to live in Herald's Collegium I'd be back in my family's suite in the palace, and these rooms are nothing compared to that."

Cerys blushed. _Idiot! You've made a fool out of yourself already! Don't make her think you're just a silly farmgirl! _"I- ah, I'm from- a farm, outside of Haven. I-I've only been to Haven a few times before, and never inside the collegia or the palace."

Her roommate smiled gently at her. "Well then, I'll just have to show you what the city's really like! How about you come out with me and my friends tomorrow night?" Gwen had a gleam of real excitement in her eyes that surprised Cerys – was Haven at night all that different from Haven during the day? – but she nodded with a smile.

"That would be fun," she said honestly. "Thank you, very much."

Kaevan caught her eye. "Want to finish the tour of the buildings?" he asked. "The sun's setting, so we can finish the tour up then you can go exploring or whatever you'd like; I'm sure you've had a long day."

She nodded, then smiled shyly at Gwen. "I guess I'll see you a little later?" she said hesitantly, but her roommate had already sat back down on the bed and begun reading again. She felt a little hurt, but tried to ignore it and followed Kaevan.

He led her through the halls, pointing out things like the library, the locations of her classes, the bathing room, and how to get to the other buildings in the complex. He took her through the separate parts of the Collegia, where she learned the basic layouts of the buildings.

"So who is in charge of all these buildings?" she asked him curiously as they walked.

"Well, you've obviously met Braeden Patamon, the Dean of Healers," Kaevan told her. He looked thoughtful. "Then there's, let's see... Fiela Ji, she's the Dean of Heralds; Skydreamer k'Treva, she's a _Tayledras_ – a Hawkbrother – and the dean of mages; and Oswyn Armande, the dean of Bardic. Obviously we're ruled by Queen Lyra, and her lifebond and Queen's Own is a really nice lady, you'll probably get to meet her sometime – her name's Nesha Cindeigh."

She started. "Wait, the queen and Queen's Own are lifebonded?" Cerys had read about this rare happening in one of the few books she'd hidden away on the farm. _How romantic!_ she thought with a smile.

"Yeah, they have been for a while," he replied. "Pretty much everybody knows about it now; some people get really bothered by it, but love and lifebonds aren't something you can control, hey?"

The two of them continued walking through the halls, and Cerys did her best to remember where everything important was that he pointed out. After a little while they had visited most of the important places inside the buildings.

"How about a quick stop at Companion's Field?" he offered, and she nodded excitedly.

The two of them stepped outside into the crisp, cool air and walked through some beautiful gardens. She had never been in a place like this – she could barely believe that she would really be living here.

They approached a well-made wooden fence, and Cerys looked out over Companion's Field. _I might just be a simple girl from the country, and I may not be used to being around all the pretty things in the palace,_ she thought, _but _this_ I can understand_. The field was huge, green, and beautiful, with rolling hills, a river, and incredible Companions moving all through it. She finally found something she could relate to, and it was already more special to her than the extravagant buildings and beautiful decorations.

"It's amazing," she said quietly, and Kaevan smiled.

"You're welcome to visit and walk through the Field anytime you like," he told her. "You're a trainee now, and the Companions don't mind. There are also horses in the stable over there," he pointed toward a large building, "if you'd like to do some riding. The salle, for weapons training, is over in that direction too, but not all Healer-trainees take that class."

They stood there leaning on the fence and admiring the view for a few more minutes before he turned to her with a smile. "Ready to head back to your room?" he asked.

"I probably should, I'm really tired," she admitted quietly with a smile.

They walked back toward her room, and he stopped at her door. "I checked your schedule, and your first class tomorrow is with your roommate," he said. "You two can walk there together, and she can show you where it is. I'll meet you back here afterwards and show you where the next ones are, okay?" She nodded.

"Thanks very much, it's really nice having someone here who knows how things work," she said quietly, ducking her head slightly in shyness.

He laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "Of course! I'll see you tomorrow!"

She nodded with a smile. "See you then," she said, and stepped into her room.

Gwen was gone from the room, and Cerys gave a little sigh of relief. _Some time to myself,_ she thought happily. _I never thought it would be nice to be alone for a while; what a crazy day this has been!_ She looked at her bag, still sitting on her bed where she'd left it, and considered climbing into bed and falling asleep, but a bath sounded even better.

_The trick is to remember where it was,_ she thought, stepping back out into the hallway. _I think... this way?_ After a few minutes of walking and one wrong turn, the bathing room was located, and it was, thankfully, empty. She took off her new uniform and folded it neatly, then stepped into the steaming water. _A bath has never felt so good,_ she thought with a smile, then leaned back with a happy sigh.

The hot water relaxed her muscles from the day's tensions. Almost getting married, discovering that she had the Healing gift, becoming a student at the famous Collegium, and living in a palace – while it had all seemed like too much to handle before, the hot water relaxed her body and her mind.

Once she felt sufficiently clean – cleaner than she had ever felt while at the farm – Cerys climbed out of the bath, toweled off, and returned to the room. _I know I've got my nightclothes in here somewhere,_ she thought as she dug through her bag, then smiled as she found them and slipped them on.

While she intended to just lie down and unwind from the day before sleeping, the soft, cool sheets and nice heavy blanket covering her felt so nice that she didn't even have time to worry about the next day as she shut her eyes with a smile on her face and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

And here's chapter five! It's been a long time since I updated and I don't know if I have any readers anymore, but I got inspired to write more the other day, and updates should be coming regularly. Thanks so much to my reviewers Alacaeriel, sparkyCSI, ginalee, aldoraspritelette, Jennykin, Loretta 537, Pathseekerme, and GinaStar – it always makes me happy to see I have a new review!

Many thanks to my beta, sparkyCSI! Your suggestions are so helpful, and it makes me feel so much better having you read through these chapters! D

To those waiting on Mass Effect fics from me – I promise I'm also working on another Kaidan fic and it will be up soon. :)

* * *

Cerys hesitantly followed Gwen to her first class in her new home. She hadn't been to a formal school in years, as her father didn't allow her to attend anymore after she'd finished her required lessons at the local temple. _I hope I'm not completely out of practice,_ she thought with concern.

"What are you waiting for?" Gwen asked, giving her a look as she paused in front of the door.

"N-nothing," she stuttered in reply, and tugged on her new uniform in nervousness then followed her roommate into the classroom.

There were just a few other people in the room before them, so most of the desks were free, but Gwen led her to two places near the back. "I never like to sit up front," she said quietly with a grin. "Sitting back here means I can try to sneak in a nap."

_Sleeping during class?_ Cerys wondered, puzzled. _Is it that boring?_ She didn't question the statement, however, and sat down in the desk next to hers.

More students trickled in as they waited for the teacher to arrive, many of them Herald-Trainees, but a few Bards, fellow Healers, blue-clad students she'd learned from Kaevan were called Unaffiliates, and a lone Mage-Trainee.

"That guy there," Gwen murmured conspiratorially, pointing subtly at a young man in Trainee Greens, "is _totally_ Lifebonded to my friend Jacy."

"Really?" she asked, intrigued. Cerys, like many other girls, dreamed of finding her own Lifebonded – if she even had one. But seeing people who were meant to be together would do for the time being, she thought.

"Well, Jacy thinks so," Gwen replied with surety. "For some reason he won't leave his girlfriend for her though. So annoying. Oh, and that girl over there-" a Herald-Trainee this time "-she's really mean, she was with my friend Raka and she got all mad and left him just because he kissed my other friend Dheina when they were drunk. And that girl, oh Goddess, this one time I saw her..."

She tried to keep up with all the stories she was being told, but all the names and exploits were a lot to take in, and she had to contain a sigh of relief when Gwen finally stopped talking.

Her relief didn't last long, however. An enormous dog – more like a wolf! – padded into the room and hopped up onto a medium-height table. Cerys looked with alarm at Gwen, who seemed unfazed and offered no explanation.

_:Don't worry, child:_ she heard a slightly masculine voice say. Only- not quite heard. It was a voice coming from all and no directions at the same time. _:My name is Rriin. I am a kyree – the 'wolf' on the desk.:_ The voice sounded amused now, and she looked back toward the front of the room, where the amber-eyed creature was looking at her. He gave her a wolfy "grin," his tongue lolling out of his mouth, and she smiled tentatively. _:If you'd like to stay after class for a few minutes, I can tell you more about what we'll be discussing.:_ She nodded, and he looked over the rest of the class.

_:Good morning, students:_ Rriin "said," and this time everyone else looked up too. _:Today, we'll be learning more about the Karsites, and their history, religion, and basic culture. If you'll open your books to chapter two...:_ There was a rustling of pages as everyone flipped to that section – except Gwen, who was leaning on her hand and staring off into space. Cerys, who had no book yet, reached over to her roommate's desk shyly and opened the book, pulling it towards her a bit so she could see. Gwen seemed either not to notice or care.

Throughout the lesson, Cerys was constantly amazed. She quickly grew accustomed to hearing Rriin's voice in her mind, and since she knew so little about the Karsites, practically everything covered was new to her. The _kyree_'s lesson was fascinating – he supplemented the information in the book with personal experiences he'd gained while living in the country. _How many places has he lived? _she wondered, intrigued.

Before she knew it, class was over, and the other students were grabbing their books and heading out the door, including Gwen, who left without even a glance back in her roommate's direction. Cerys was hurt, but said nothing – she didn't want to anger her this early in their "friendship," and she had to stay afterwards to speak with Rriin anyway.

She hesitantly stepped to the front of the room toward Rriin, who looked at her serenely. _:Hello, youngling. You are Cerys Denarin, correct?:_

"Y-yes, sir," she said.

_:Very good. Welcome to the Collegium. As you've gathered by now, I will be your Cultures teacher. You're not too far behind the other students – you had good timing, getting here when you did:_ he informed her, and she smiled shyly. _:You'll need to do a bit of catch-up reading, but not too much.:_

She flushed. "I- I don't have a book yet," she admitted.

If he were human, he would have smiled kindly at her. As it was, he gave her another grin and wagged his tail a little, the long fur sweeping across the desk. _:You can get a copy from the library, it's not a problem:_ he said soothingly. _:Do you have time to go before your next class?:_

She pulled out her schedule from her bag, grudgingly loaned to her by Gwen that morning, and consulted it. "Um... I have my Mindspeaking class next, in Herald's Collegium, but it's not for a little while," she said. "My mentor Kaevan is supposed to meet me back at my room to show me where it is."

_:Excellent:_ he replied, then was silent for a few moments. Cerys was confused, but said nothing, feeling slightly awkward and wondering if she was supposed to do something. _:One of my other students is in that class as well:_ he finally said. _:He's agreed to take you to the library after it's finished so you can find your books.:_

She smiled, pleasantly surprised – how nice of Rriin to find help for her, and of the other trainee to agree to assist her! "Thank you very much," she said sincerely, no longer feeling quite so odd about talking to a 'wolf.' "What would you like me to read for next time?"

_:Try to get through chapter one. If you have any questions, just ask any of your teachers or the servants. I am the only kyree at the Collegia:_ he chuckled, _:so there won't be any problem finding me.:_

Cerys nodded. "I will. Thank you!" she said as she left.

She paused for a moment once she stepped into the hallway. _I have some time before I need to meet Kaevan,_ she thought. _I guess I could go back to the room to spend time with Gwen... _A large group of talking, laughing students came by, making her move to the side of the hall, and she half smiled regretfully. _Will I ever have friends like that?_ she wondered, then shook her head. Best not to think about that yet – not on her first day.

Perhaps she'd been too hard on Gwen, she considered as she headed back towards the room. After all, the girl was used to having her own room in an even nicer section of the palace than the Collegia, and suddenly she had a backward farm girl as a roommate. Cerys suddenly felt ashamed of her behavior. _I hope she'll forgive me,_ she thought with worry. _I'll go out with her and her friends tonight. Maybe I can show them that I can fit in after all._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she crashed into someone in the hall, causing her to jump in alarm – she hadn't even heard anyone coming! She stepped back, getting her footing again, to see a group of students her own age standing there, led by a girl in Mage-trainee yellow who had fallen to the floor. She stood up, brushing off her uniform, and Cerys could see the girl had a scowl on her face. She immediately opened her mouth to apologize, but couldn't say a word before being cut off as the other girl voiced her frustrations.

"Do you even _bother_ looking where you're going?" she asked angrily, her eyes flashing. She took a step toward Cerys, who stepped backwards in fear. The girl's friends, five or six of them wearing blue and yellow, stood behind her, arms folded and chuckling. "Just because you Healers have been in the Collegia longer doesn't mean you run the place. You and those damn Heralds, thinking you're so special," she sneered.

'_Damn Heralds?'_ Cerys thought, baffled. _Who _is_ this girl that she doesn't like Heralds? _But she did her best to assuage the girl's anger. "I'm so sorry!" she said hurriedly. "I was walking and thinking, and-"

"_Thinking?_" the girl said incredulously. The mage-trainee looked her over like she was evaluating her, and from the frown on her face, she didn't approve of what she saw. "It doesn't look like you do much _thinking_, farm girl. It looks to me like you're more of the _working_ type." The girl's friends snorted in amusement at this. Cerys hid her hands, which were rough from working on the farm, behind her back so they couldn't see the calluses, and blushed bright red. The girl, seeing this, crowed in victory, and Cerys blushed and backed away again. "She _is_ a little worker!" she said with fake sweetness. "I bet you just work so hard out in the sun all day long, out on your little farm. Do you pull the plow, too, little ox?"

"Oh that's a perfect name for her, Siara," a blue-clad boy standing behind her said with a grin, then looked at her, cruelty evident in his eyes. "Our Ox is such a hard worker. It's too bad she hasn't figured out that being a student at the Collegia takes more than brute strength. I wonder how long she'll last?"

"As do I," Siara said with a venomous smile. Cerys had backed up so far she was against a wall, and the other girl took another step forward, then reached out to pat her roughly on the arm. "Good luck in your classes, Ox," she told her. "We'll see you around."

With that, the group walked away, leaving Cerys terrified and shocked, pressed up against the wall of the hallway. _Why...?_ she wondered, trying to contain her tears. She felt a sudden need to run, to get away from this place where she clearly didn't belong, and instantly wished she were sitting on the fence of the field at home. But since she couldn't have that, she practically ran down the hall and out the door toward Companion's Field.

She passed a few people, but she avoided eye contact and continued her hurried journey. When she got there, she climbed over the fence and headed for a small wooded area that looked like it might be secluded. _I just need to be alone,_ she thought desperately.

Cerys leaned against a tree when she arrived in the grove, and slid down until she was sitting, then buried her face in her hands and cried. Why had that girl said those things? She'd just bumped into her, it was an accident!

_Because you don't belong here, and everyone can see it,_ a nagging voice in her head told her. _You should've just gotten married and stuck to the life you knew. At least you fit in there._

She let herself cry for a little while, until she heard a rustling nearby that made her jump in surprise. "Who- who's there?" she called out nervously.

A white horse – _a Companion!_ she thought excitedly – walked out from between the trees and came up to her slowly, concern in its gorgeous blue eyes. It lipped her tunic gently, and she half-smiled.

"I- I'm all right," she told the Companion. It gave her a look in response, one that said it knew she was lying, and snorted loudly. She couldn't help but giggle, then became more serious. "It's my first day here," she confessed, "and I already feel like I shouldn't have come. I bumped into a mage-trainee and she told me I should've stayed on the farm." She sighed and looked down, feeling tears welling up again. "What if she was right?"

The Companion shook its head, mane bouncing around from the motion, and nosed her in the chest, then took a step backward. When Cerys didn't do anything in response, it nosed her in the chest again. She looked at the Companion, baffled. "You want me to get up?" she asked, and it nodded its head in confirmation. She blinked in confusion, but did as it asked, and the horse turned so she was facing its side, then turned to look at her expectantly.

"You- want me to get on?" she asked, doubtful, but the Companion nodded again. Cerys shook her head in amazement. "But- I haven't ridden very much, and you don't have a saddle," she pointed out, which received a loud snort in response. She giggled again. "All right, I'll try." Grabbing onto its mane for help, she managed to pull herself up, then held on tightly to the mane with both hands as the Companion walked out of the forest.

Once they were out from the trees, it launched into a canter the likes of which Cerys had never felt before. What a smooth gait – a child could sit on the back of one of these creatures and not fall! The wind blew her hair back, and she closed her eyes and smiled.

Their journey came to an end far too soon, when the Companion slowed to a walk and then stopped near the fence by Healer's Collegium. She dismounted carefully and turned to face the blue-eyed creature. "Thank you," she said quietly, then, suddenly daring, leaned over give the Companion a hug, and it whickered affectionately in response, then, as she let go, gave her a gentle push toward Healer's with its nose. Cerys grinned. "I'm going, I'm going!" she said, and headed back toward her room.


End file.
